Palestinians officially decide to seek UN recognition

The Palestinian Authority on Sunday officially decided to seek UN recognition of a sovereign and independent Palestinian state in September.

The decision came during a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), the terrorist organization that is the driving force behind the Palestinian Authority.

The unilateral statehood bid had been threatened for the better part of the past year. But in recent months, PA leader Mahmoud Abbas appeared to backtrack, noting that the motion would never pass in the Security Council, where the US enjoys veto power.

US President Barack Obama has signaled that his administration will veto recognition of a Palestinian state established outside the framework of a peace agreement with Israel. But that won't stop the Palestinians from taking the motion to the General Assembly.

While UN General Assembly votes are not legally binding, the Palestinian resolution is expected to be adopted by such an overwhelming majority as to cause serious problems for Israel.

The resolution calls for recognition of a Palestinian state based on the pre-1967 armistice lines, which would put all of Judea and Samaria and the eastern half of Jerusalem in Arab hands.

Abbas reminded Obama that he, too, called on Israel to make peace based on the pre-1967 lines. As such, Abbas insisted the White House has no reason to oppose the Palestinian statehood bid.

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